Harmon Co. OK Obit for Russell "Rusty" Emory Babione ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Transcribed from the Altus Times http://www.altustimes.com/ For the Harmon County, OK. archives project: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/harmon/harmonobits.html 5/05/2002 by Bill Cook, for the Harmon Co. Okla. Archives. ************************************************************ Russell "Rusty" Emory Babione Funeral services for Russell "Rusty" Emory Babione, 50, of Weatherford will be held in the First Presbyterian Church in Clinton Thursday at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Carol Waters and R.C. Babione officiating. Visiting hours at Stanley-Lee Funeral Home in Clinton will continue until noon Thursday. He was born Nov. 5, 1951 in Clinton to Ronald and Betty (Burtis) Babione. He died Monday at his home in Weatherford. When he was a baby, the family moved to Hereford, Texas, where they lived until 1963. They then moved to Altus. He graduated from Altus High School in 1970 and then attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford where he studied industrial management. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September, 1972. Following graduation at Great Lakes Training Center, he was assigned shipboard at San Diego. When his ship was decommissioned he was transferred to Treasure Island Naval Base, Oakland, Calif. He was honorably discharged in October, 1973 and received the National Defense Service Medal. He moved to Oklahoma City and worked there for the postal service. He later moved to Altus and established Southwest Plating Company with his father. He was a self taught mechanic and was employed on special jobs by a number of area farm implement dealers. He also became a certified mechanic for Kawaski motorcycles. In 1988 he married Trina Matthew of Altus at the home of the grandmother, Mrs. Buff Burtis. The couple lived at Altus, Thomas and Weatherford while continuing their education at Southwestern. He received his BS degree in Psychology. After he was divorced, he lived for a while with his grandmother Burtis at Clinton doing odd jobs and caring for her as her health declined. He spent summers raising garden vegetables and helping with field work at the Darrell Coit farm near Custer City. He was entrepreneur, dealing in the buying and restoring of vintage cars. He also invented two metal devices which received official patents by the U.S. Patent Office. When he became physically unable to do work himself because of a military disability, he continued to enjoy overseeing his mechanical projects and gardening. He was preceded in death by his father, grandparents Buff and Reba (Crow) Burtis, and Lester and Stella (Cork) Babione, all of Clinton. He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Betty and Darrell Coit of Custer City, sister Charlotte and husband Danny Lovett of Norman; two brothers, Ronny Babione and wife Susan of Altus, Bruce Babione and wife Debbie of Fort Polk, La.; aunt Jane Burtis Smith, North Palm Beach, Fla.; uncle Buff Burtis, M.D. Anchorage, Alaska; a great aunt, Mrs. Emory (Georgia) Crow of Hollis and five nieces and nephews. The family suggests those wishing to give memorial contributions may do so in care of the First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 264, Clinton.